The 64-page legislation titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023" could potentially usher in the most profound shift in humanity's perception of its role in the cosmos in history.
This post briefly discusses the legislation, the potential ontological shock it could induce, and the reasons why universities should establish interdisciplinary UAP studies programs.
The legislation
The legislation is both expansive and specific. Here, I call out just a few key statements from it and add some comments.
Legislation is necessary because credible evidence and testimony indicates that Federal Government unidentified anomalous phenomena records exist that have not been declassified or subject to mandatory declassification review
It's important to note that the people assembling this legislation have accessed far more and higher-quality evidence than what is known to the public. They have heard testimonies from numerous individuals with high-level security clearances. These assertions aren't based on videos seen on YouTube.
Later the legislation provides more detail on what they mean by UAP.
The term “unidentified anomalous phenomena’’ means any object operating or judged capable of operating in outer space, the atmosphere, ocean surfaces, or undersea lacking prosaic attribution due to performance characteristics and properties not previously known to be achievable based upon commonly accepted physical principles.
This isn’t just about lights in the sky. This is about objects that demonstrate capabilities that scientists and engineers thought were impossible.
And the legislation explains why it is important that this information be made public.
Legislation is necessary to afford complete and timely access to all knowledge gained by the Federal Government concerning unidentified anomalous phenomena in furtherance of comprehensive open scientific and technological research and development essential to avoiding or mitigating potential technological surprise in furtherance of urgent national security concerns and the public interest.
In other words, the government doesn't want to suddenly find that our military or economic competitors have mastered these capabilities before we have, putting us at a severe military and economic disadvantage. Moreover, quite frankly, the public has a right to know about this phenomena.
As Senator Schumer, a key architect of the legislation, said in a separate statement:
The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, and unexplainable phenomena.
The ontological shock
Should this legislation on UAP provide evidence that we are not alone, that there are technologies demonstrating capabilities the scientific community once deemed impossible, and that certain groups have withheld evidence of this phenomena for decades, the revelations would profoundly impact various aspects of society. These would include national security, international relations, public perception of institutions such as governments and religious organizations, various disciplines within science and engineering, and national and global economies.
The legislation seems to acknowledge the extensive impact these revelations could have. It specifically stipulates that the nine-member Review Board should include at least one current or former national security official, a current or former foreign services official, a scientist or engineer, an economist, a professional historian, and a sociologist.
The role universities should play
Given access to a significant amount of previously classified documents spanning decades, universities should consider establishing interdisciplinary UAP studies programs to analyze and understand this new data. Departments including physics, engineering, biology, religious studies, history, economics, cinema, and more could—and perhaps should—participate in this interdisciplinary initiative.
If, as many expect, such revelations hold the potential to profoundly shake our understanding of our world and history, universities could play a pivotal role in guiding society through this potentially tumultuous period via interdisciplinary UAP programs.